High school students training at Amadeusz Rowing Academy at Diamond Fitness in Oyster Bay, including rower and Williston Park resident Mary Elizabeth Smith, dominated the recent Strong Island Sprints indoor regatta at St. Anthony’s High School in Huntington. In the competition that drew more than 40,000 rowers from Long Island and New York City, the team won medals in every race in which it competed.
Remarkably, in the men’s high school freshmen race, Amadeusz rowers took first, second, third and fourth places in a field of 20 rowers. One rower’s father competed in the open (adult) race, and both father and son medaled.
Andrew Marsh and James Poll both broke records for the men’s high school 2,000-meter race. Marsh and Poll are the second and third fastest rowers, respectively, in their category nationwide. In fact, Poll is the fastest U.S. rower in the high school class of 2016.
The youngest team member, Spencer Evans, broke a record for the Boys’ Bantam (1,000 meter) Race.
The Rowing Academy is also the training ground for several other young rowers with potential for national and international success, including Bel Evans, who, in her junior year of high school, has already been recruited by Harvard University.
Amadeusz medalists were: Spencer Evans of Oyster Bay, Gold Medal, Boys Bantam Race; Monica Jagustyn of Glen Cove, Gold Medal, Women’s High School Freshmen Race; Andrew Zimny of Sea Cliff, Gold Medal, Men’s High School Freshmen Race; John Karen of Northport, Silver Medal, Men’s High School Freshmen Race; Adam Makara of Hicksville, Bronze Medal, Men’s High School Freshmen Race; Bel Evans of Oyster Bay, Gold Medal, Women’s High School Lightweight Race; Laila Lapins of Manhasset, Silver Medal, Women’s High School Lightweight Race; Jack Stanton of West Islip, Gold Medal, Men’s High School Lightweight Race; Emma Gillis of Manhasset, Gold Medal, Women’s High School Race; Andrew Marsh of Massapequa Park, Gold Medal, Men’s High School Race; James Poll of Upper Brookville, Silver Medal, Men’s High School Race; Caleb Van Loon of Port Washington, Gold Medal, Open (adult) Race; Darius Makara of Hicksville, Silver Medal, Open (adult) Race.
Two weeks earlier, two rowers from Amadeusz Rowing Academy competed in the Gold Coast Classic in Port Washington and both also won medals there. Julia Vascotto of Huntington won first place in the Heavy Weight Juniors class. Julia Henry of Manhasset took second in Light Weight Juniors.
Amadeusz rower Mary Elizabeth Smith of Williston Park competed in the Ironmen Erg Classic in Ramsey, NJ, on Jan. 31. She placed fourth out of 52 rowers.
“I am very proud of these young rowers,” said rowing coach Amadeusz Pietrzak. “They work very hard in our training sessions six days a week, and their success is a reflection of that.”
Each of these events is a US Rowing sectioned competition. On March 1, Amadeusz’s rowers competed at the CRASH-B International World Indoor Rowing Championships at Agganis Arena, Boston University.
Coach Pietrzak, a native of Bydgoszcz, Poland, and a graduate of Dowling College in Oakdale, is widely respected for his success in training and mentoring highly successful young athlete scholars. His students have been recruited by many Ivy League colleges and Division 1 universities, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Columbia and Boston Universities.
